How important is name on the Social Security card?

Question

Lets say my wife's last name is Gonzales but the ss card shows Mary Ana Gonzales-Garcia. Garcia is her mother's last name. The dash and Garcia shouldn't be there. She Has been using Gonzales in the past. Does this means she has to use Gonzales-Garcia from now on and for everything. Would it be a big deal if she uses just Gonzales as last name in further documents without changing the name on the SS card. or would there be a conflict because Gonzalez and Gonzales-Garcia are 2 different names.
In South America, we have 4 names: First name, middle name, father's last name and mother's last name. i know most of the time INS would put your four names on the green card. Lets say her name is Mary Ana Gonzales Garcia. In the card the name shown is Mary Ana Gonzales-Garcia. First I thought that is not a big deal then we went to the SS office and they put the name just like the resident card.

Answer 1

I understood that it had to be just like the SS card.

Answer 2

This could definitely be a problem in some cases. For instance, if she goes to get a driver's license or even just to get it renewed, if they see that her name is not the same as on her SS card, she will have a problem (that happened to me). My mother has also had problems because she uses a middle name which turned out to not be on her birth ceritificate. Even though that's not the same situation, when it comes to names on legal documents, you can run into problem after problem if things don't match up. I would suggest calling SS and explaining the situation and asking what can be done; they may be able to reissue her a new SS card with the correct name (although I don't know for sure).

Answer 3

first ingredient (you may've already carried out this) cancel the charge playing cards, debit playing cards, and the different playing cards that money would nicely be racked up on. second ingredient: report a police report accurate this second (the quicker the more effective useful). third ingredient: call social safe practices and allow them comprehend you've been a sufferer of a robbery and that your social safe practices card become taken. Fourth ingredient, get the shape to between the numerous credit bureaus and performance them position a flag on your account. This shall we merchants comprehend that you've been a sufferer of a robbery. they are going to be more effective careful and by no ability enable new money owed to abruptly be opened. fifth ingredient: visit DMV and allow them comprehend what's happening. Get a alternative motive force's license. It sucks that this happened to you yet you may do your suitable to cut back the wear and tear and tear you are able to face.

Answer 4

As far as filing tax forms....the IRS periodically cracks down on names on tax filings that don't match the social security number. About three years ago several tax returns that the CPA firm I workd for were flagged and corrections needed to be made because women had put their married name on the tax forms, but had neglected to change the name on their social security card.

I was just married about three months ago, and changed my name on my social security card about a month ago...it literally took me five minutes to change my name, and then they mailed me my new card within ten days. All she will need to bring is a driver's license or other valid form of picture identification showing her new name and her marriage license. It is very easy, and could save her some pain down the road.

Answer 5

In a common law country one can use any name one likes so long as it's not fraudulent -- to defraud. In a civil law country that's not so. It looks as if your wife may be Spanish, from Spain, where the rule is that offspring bear two last names, father's first and mother's next.

That does not bind them in other countries. See: Avello http://curia.europa.eu/jurisp/cgi-bin/form.pl?lang=en&Submit=Rechercher&alldocs=alldocs&docj=docj&docop=docop&docor=docor&docjo=docjo&numaff=C-148/02&datefs=&datefe=&nomusuel=&domaine=&mots=&resmax=100
But see Leonhard-Mathias: http://curia.europa.eu/jurisp/cgi-bin/form.pl?lang=en&Submit=Rechercher&alldocs=alldocs&docj=docj&docop=docop&docor=docor&docjo=docjo&numaff=C-96/04%20&datefs=&datefe=&nomusuel=&domaine=&mots=&resmax=100

Don't worry. A social security card should show a name sufficiently clearly to prevent mistake and fraud, but it does not have to be exact. My wife's US social security card did not show her married name until after we'd been married nearly 40 years. The discrepancy only showed up because the NYS DMV encountered it when their records were checked against the SSA's. I had to go to the USA on other business, and brought her license and SS card in, and they overrode the block. The IRS never addressed the issue.

In other words: don't worry. Address any problems as they arise. Your wife should call herself whatever she likes. If they ask for a document, the cheapest way is an English deed poll which you can get even if you don't live in England, and which most US agencies will accept anyway because it looks impressive: http://www.ukdps.co.uk/

Answer 6

It has caused problems in my family. My wife and step sons have the multiple names because they are from South America and it does bite sometimes. Try to list your names the same way on all official documents.

Answer 7

i think that it won't be too big of a deal beacuse gonzales is part of gonzales-garcia. lots of people legally have hypenated names but just go by one.

Answer 8

Why doesn't she just get her card fixed?

It isn't as if it was written by act of God, they are used to correcting mis-information.